Department for Transport

Railways: Greater London

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in the context of the proposed reduction in rail service frequency and carriage numbers in London, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of that proposal on rail (a) passenger numbers and (b) revenue.

Kevin Foster: The Department has issued all operators with a demand forecast model to track returning demand against forecasts to better match train services to demand.Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), who introduced its latest timetable change on Sunday 4 September 2022, has used this model to ensure demand is best met given the funding available for services across its network.At present, GTR’s operating costs are outstripping revenue. Across the GTR network, demand for services is between 60 to 75 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels resulting in a significant deficit in the operators’ cost base of several hundred million pounds each year at the current level of service provision.All services are kept under review, and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand by changing the frequency of services or length of trains. The Department will work with GTR to consider what further action is needed where evidence supports the (re)introduction of services or longer trains.

Bus Services: Hitchin and Harpenden

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to improve rural bus services in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency.

Kevin Foster: Whilst it is for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to determine and prioritise investment in local transport, the Government’s National Bus Strategy asked all LTAs to publish a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) covering the full area, including parts with differing needs, such as rural elements. Hertfordshire County Council submitted a high-quality BSIP. On 8 August 2022, the Department wrote to the Council’s Transport Director, confirming their funding allocation of up to £29,732,100 (of which £13,190,400 is capital and £16,541,700 is revenue) to support delivery of the BSIP.We have also announced a further six-month extension to the Bus Recovery Grant to provide up to £130m to continue supporting bus services in England outside London from October until March 2023.

Railways: Temperature

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to future proof rail lines and infrastructure against extreme heat.

Kevin Foster: Network Rail has well-established operational measures to protect infrastructure and manage services safely during extreme weather events, such as line speed restrictions or diversions. Looking ahead, Network Rail is drafting long-term plans, and has in place a weather resilience and climate change strategy to ensure rail infrastructure can cope with climate change and short-term periods of extreme weather.

Railways: Finance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the impact of the delay in publishing the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.

Kevin Foster: We need to ensure the rail projects we take forward reflect demand whilst remaining affordable.It is important we are able to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible rather than potentially publish a misleading version. The Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP) update will be published in due course.

Avanti West Coast: Standards

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to issue penalties to Avanti due to the reduction in its services; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: Avanti notified DfT it would introduce a reduced timetable, in order to reduce reliance on short notice cancellations.The Department will follow all due legal and contractual processes to determine what action, if any, is appropriate to take regarding Avanti’s performance.

Avanti West Coast: Timetables

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Avanti will incur any financial penalties as a result of its implementation of a reduced timetable for Avanti West Coast services.

Kevin Foster: The Department is following all due legal and contractual processes to determine what action is appropriate to take.

Avanti West Coast: Timetables

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he had discussions with representatives of Avanti West Coast in advance of the implementation of a reduced timetable by that company.

Kevin Foster: Avanti notified the Department it would introduce a reduced timetable, in order to reduce reliance on short notice cancellations.Department officials routinely engage with Avanti and its Owning Group over many areas, including all significant timetabling and performance decisions.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Income

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether revenue is generated by the DVLA from private parking companies.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the DVLA is required to pass on personal information to third parties such as private parking companies.

Robert Courts: Regulation 27 of The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 allows information about the keepers of UK-registered vehicles to be disclosed to third parties in certain limited circumstances, subject to appropriate safeguards. This includes the release of information to help manage parking on private land.To help ensure that motorists are treated fairly when any parking charges are levied, vehicle keeper information is disclosed only to companies that are members of an accredited trade association and adhere to an enforceable code of practice.The British Parking Association and the Independent Parking Committee are the relevant accredited trade associations for the parking industry.Regulations allow the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to charge a fee for releasing information to private parking companies. HM Treasury guidance dictates that fees are set to recover the cost of providing the information and this ensures that the cost is borne by the requester and not passed on to the taxpayer.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Pakistan: Floods

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support Pakistan after the flooding in summer 2022.

Leo Docherty: The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan, as it faces the consequences of the recent devastating flooding. The UK was one of the first countries to announce funding (£1.5 million) to respond to the humanitarian need. We have now increased this to £16.5 million to support flood relief efforts. The UK contribution is also now over 10% of the joint UN and Government of Pakistan emergency appeal ($160 million). This flooding demonstrates how climate change is making extreme weather events both more intense and more frequent.

Balochistan: Human Rights

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help raise the issue of human rights violations against people in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings she has had on human rights abuses in Balochistan, Pakistan in the last 12 months.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help promote human rights in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: We regularly raise our concerns about human rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, did so most recently on 23 June, when he met Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar. In February 2022, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan visited Balochistan, where he met the Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, and discussed the protection of human rights. He also discussed the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 17 June this year. We will continue to engage with the Government of Pakistan on the need to honour its international commitments and obligations throughout its territory.

Ministry of Defence

Air Force: Military Bases

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the use of RAF runways in the UK has been temporarily suspended as a result of extreme temperatures since 2010.

Alec Shelbrooke: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions

Cost of Living Payments: Self-employed

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2022 to Question 36137 on Cost of Living Payments: Self-employed, how many gainfully self-employed claimants who (a) were in a start-up period and (b) were otherwise exempt from the minimum income floor.

David Rutley: During the qualifying period for the first Cost of Living Payment there were 219,340 gainfully self-employed Universal Credit claimants in a start-up period.It is not possible to provide the number of claimants who were otherwise exempt from the minimum income floor, as to do so would incur disproportionate cost. This figure is from internal Management Information subject to retrospective changes and is rounded to the nearest 10.

Cost of Living Payments: Universal Credit

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2022 to Question 36138 on Cost of Living Payments, how many Universal Credit claimants who had the minimum income floor applied to them during the qualifying period for the first round of cost of living payments; and how many claimants (a) had a zero payment, (b) earned below the minimum income floor and (c) earned above the minimum income floor.

David Rutley: During the qualifying period for the first Cost of Living Payment there were 67,350 gainfully self-employed Universal Credit claimants subject to the minimum income floor. Of these:a) 8,820 had a zero payment.b) 33,520 earned below the minimum income floor.c) 33,830 earned above the minimum income floor. Numbers with a zero payment (a) are not excluded from numbers above (b) or below (c) the minimum income floor.Note: the figures in (a), (b) and (c) do not sum to the total number of gainfully self-employed as some individuals will have a zero payment and earn above or below the minimum income floor. These figures are from internal Management Information subject to retrospective changes and are rounded to the nearest 10.

Low Incomes: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to help low-income families in Solihull constituency with the cost of living.

David Rutley: This government is committed to supporting those on low incomes.  We will spend over £242bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2022/23 including £108bn on people of working age and over £134 billion on pensioners. Of the total amount, around £64 billion will be spent on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions. The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.   This includes a £650 cost of living payment (paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324) which has been designed to target support at more than 8 million low-income households on means-tested benefits. The payment of £326 was paid between the 14 July and the 31 July for most people and the payment of £324 will be made in the Autumn. In addition, 6 million eligible disabled people will receive a one-off disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20 September and pensioner households will receive a one-off payment of £300 through and as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment from November. Most customers with a domestic electricity meter will benefit from the £400 support being provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme, which will help around 29 million households across Great Britain. This support is in addition to the £150 Council Tax rebate for households in England in Council Tax bands A-D, which was announced in February, and which millions of households have already received. This is on top of the support already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour and raising the National Insurance threshold to £12,570 from 6 July 2022, which is a saving of over £330 for a typical employee. The government is also providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what has already been provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England this will take the form of an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April - 30 September, at least a third (£140m) will be spent on families with children. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has been allocated £1,408,359.07.

Poverty: Children

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tackle child poverty in Barking constituency.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of its policies in tackling child poverty in Barking constituency.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to (a) create measures that target families with children in poverty and (b) reassess universal credit deductions that affect children living in poverty.

David Rutley: No specific assessment has been made relating to Barking constituency. However, the latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2021“ This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty.  While we keep all our policies under continuous review, our clear priority with 1.27 million vacancies across the UK is to support parents to move into and to progress in work wherever possible. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. In 2020/21, there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs than in 2009/10.To help parents into work, our Plan for Jobs continues to provide broad ranging support for all jobseekers with our Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart scheme. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for extended support through our Jobcentres to progress into higher-paid work. This is on top of the support already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour, giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 a year (on average) through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances; and the Universal Credit childcare offer which allows working parents to claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month (up to a maximum cap). In recent years, we have helped hundreds of thousands of Universal Credit claimants to keep more of their benefit income by reducing the standard deductions cap from 40% to 30% of the Standard Allowance in October 2019, and again, to 25% in April 2021. From 1st April 2022, a temporary change also means that for 12 months, only benefit claimants themselves can ask DWP to pay their energy bills (on going consumption) directly from their benefit or alter an existing arrangement. This ensures claimants are fully empowered to make decisions about how significant amounts of their benefit are spent.The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. This includes an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what has already been provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, the current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April – 30 September 2022, at least a third (£140m) will be spent on families with children. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council has been allocated £2,162,051.52.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department spent on staffing costs for contract management for contracts to deliver (a) Personal Independence Payment assessments and (b) Work Capability Assessments in each year since 2012-13.

Julie Marson: Available information on the cost of DWP staff managing the contracts for a) Personal Independence Payments and b) Work Capability Assessments is as follows:  2018-192019-202020-212021-22 £m£m£m£mPIP1.1461.0551.1321.360WCA1.1501.2681.3401.590 Information for earlier years is not available due to changes in the Finance systems used and how they are structured, limiting our ability to specify the cost of similar, comparable cohorts of DWP staff.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on staffing costs for (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) appeals against Work Capability Assessment decisions for Employment Support Allowance in each year since 2012-13.

Julie Marson: The information for the financial years covered by the request are detailed in the tables below: ESA (WCA)2012-13  (£m)2013-14  (£m)2014-15  (£m)2015-16  (£m)2016-17  (£m)2017-18  (£m)2018-19  (£m)2019-20  (£m)2020-21 (£m)2021-22 (£m)Mandatory Reconsiderations£0.0£5.2£18.4£11.5£11.1£15.0£7.7£4.8£0.6£0.5Appeals£24.4£37.1£9.4£6.5£7.9£14.6£8.4£6.0£0.8£0.8 Cost figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1mData Source: ABM The cost figures quoted are estimated DWP level 1 operating costs, including both direct delivery staff and non-staff costs. Non-staff costs are only those costs incurred in local cost centres, relating to direct delivery staff.Please note that the data supplied is from the Departmental Activity Based Models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The Departmental Activity Based staffing models are a snapshot of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers. Figures quoted exclude ESA Non-WCA costs.Appeals costs relate to the costs of processing the Appeals and include expenditure related to DWP Presenting Officer who attend some Tribunals.2013/14 costs for ESA Reconsiderations are only part-year due to the introduction of the Reconsideration process (hence the reduction in Appeals costs from 2014/15).

Way to Work Scheme: Hitchin and Harpenden

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Way to Work scheme in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency.

Julie Marson: We are unable to provide the number of movements into work during the Way to Work campaign for the Hitchin and Harpenden constituency as to produce this would incur disproportionate cost. Whilst we cannot provide data at a constituency level, we can provide this data at a Jobcentre Plus (JCP) district geographical area. Hitchin and Harpenden constituency falls within Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire JCP District, we have therefore provided the movements into work that took place within that area during the campaign period. These will include movements that took place in other constituencies that fall within the same JCP district. We estimate that 12,030 unemployed Universal Credit claimants in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire JCP District, moved into work during the Way to Work Campaign between 31 January and 30 June 2022. This does not include movements into work from JSA claimants as they cannot be broken down to Jobcentre Plus District level. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency and timeliness

Department for Work and Pensions: Consultants

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on external consultants in each of the last five years; and if she will publish a breakdown of (a) the amount paid to each consultancy contracted, (b) the name of each consultancy contracted, (c) the specific matters on which they were consulted and (d) whether each contract was subject to usual Government procurement rules.

Julie Marson: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publishes details about headcount and payroll costs for permanent staff and contractors on GOV.UK, monthly. DWP workforce management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The DWP consultancy spend for the financial years ending 2018 through to 2022 is shown below. 2017/18 £7,200,2592018/19 £4,446,1692019/20 £4,570,6652020/21 £1,284,8612021/22 £1,041,058DWP publishes individual contract data on all contracts valued at £10,000 and over onContracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Work and Pensions: Labour Turnover

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the staff turnover rate in her Department was in the last 12 months; and what recent assessment she has made the potential impact of staff turnover rates on her Department's ability to deliver its services.

Julie Marson: Turnover is defined as the rate at which employees leave the department for reasons outside of DWP’s control (i.e. resignations, retirements, transfers, dismissals) and excludes managed exits (all types) and fixed term appointment (FTA) staff who leave at contract end. The DWP turnover rate for the last twelve months (July 2021 to June 2022) is 12.1% for all staff. The turnover rate has been impacted by numbers of fixed-term and temporary colleagues in the underlying workforce as we have found turnover rates for these colleagues are significantly higher than permanent staff. However, that impact is expected to reduce due to activity to stabilise our workforce. We have agreed, and continually review, comprehensive workforce plans across the business for the year that take into account a number of factors impacting headcount, including turnover. These plans ensure that future recruitment will maintain our headcount at the required level to meet our Strategic Objectives and continue to deliver our services to a high standard.

Pensioners: Cost of Living

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who are on the State Pension and are not eligible for the Cost of Living Payment are being supported in the context of the increased costs of living.

Julie Marson: In 2022/23, we will spend over £134bn on benefits for pensioners in GB. This includes spending on the State Pension which is forecast to be over £110bn. The full yearly basic State Pension is now over £2,300 higher, in cash terms, than in 2010 which is around £720 more than if it had been up-rated in line with prices. The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. This is why we are providing £37bn of support this year which includes a one-off payment of £300 to pensioner households as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment. All households with a domestic electricity bill will also benefit from the £400 support being provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. We are also providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Health

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has held recent discussions with the Welsh Government on requirements to attend the Jobcentre for people with health problems.

Julie Marson: Although there have been no recent discussions with the Welsh Government concerning Jobcentre attendance for people with health conditions, there is a well-established working relationship between the Department and the Welsh Government, ensuring that we work together on devolved and reserved areas effectively. Our Work Coaches personalise the support provided for each individual claimant and vary the frequency and method of contact in line with the claimant’s needs, circumstances, and capability, including the use of digital and telephone channels where appropriate.

Northern Ireland Office

Question

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will (a) have discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the proportion of commercial properties in Northern Ireland that are empty and (b) make that matter a priority for discussions when the Northern Ireland Assembly returns.

Mr Steve Baker: Vacant commercial properties are a devolved matter, and related enquiries should be directed to the Northern Ireland Executive Department for Communities. The Northern Ireland Office wishes to promote growing prosperity for everyone in Northern Ireland. To that end, officials and ministers work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and we work with all parties to secure the political stability which is essential to the flourishing of communities across Northern Ireland.

Treasury

UK Infrastructure Bank

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made for the implication of his policies of the Institution of Civil Engineer's recommendation that the National Infrastructure Strategy should be on a statutory footing to provide more clarity and guidance on where the UK Infrastructure Bank should focus.

Andrew Griffith: As the Prime Minister set out earlier this month, the government is committed to delivery of infrastructure commitments – including those set out in the National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS) – to improve the UK’s energy security, transport networks and digital connectivity. There are no plans to legislate for the NIS. The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) was established in June 2021. Since then, it has entered into 10 deals worth a total of £1 billion, investing to drive economic growth and to strengthen the UK’s energy supply. The former Chancellor wrote to the UKIB on 18th March 2022 to set out his strategic priorities for the Bank. This letter has been published and is available on gov.uk.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help ensure that people affected by the Equitable Life scandal are compensated.

Andrew Griffith: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015. There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

Investment: Classification Schemes

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his timetable is for the publication of the consultation on the UK's Sustainable Investment Taxonomy in the context of the energy crisis.

Andrew Griffith: It is important to get this policy right for the UK. The UK Green Taxonomy Consultation is under review and the Government will be setting out next steps in due course.

Veterinary Services: VAT

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment on the potential merits of (a) removing and (b) reducing VAT on (i) veterinary services and (ii) animal medications.

Richard Fuller: As with all taxes, the Government keeps VAT on veterinary services and animal medications under review.